A surgical tourniquet is used by surgeons to work on a body part in a far more efficient manner since it prevents blood flow to that particular limb. This improves the surgeons speed and precision while it is also much safer from the patient’s perspective. It can also be used during a major accident to prevent death due to exsanguination. Major surgical tourniquet markets include hospitals, medical camps, and research units. The surgical tourniquet market was revolutionized in the late 1980’s by James McEwen, a Canadian engineer who invented microprocessor- controlled pneumatic tourniquets. They have significantly increased the safety of surgical procedures and are now ubiquitous across the world. The word tourniquet is derived from the French word tourner which means “to turn”.

Surgical Tourniquets Market Drivers

Since tourniquets are required whenever there is any medical emergency, a rising global population can be expected to increase the size of the surgical tourniquet market. They are required for dealing with any kind of industrial accidents, falls or road accidents. Road accidents in particular are either the leading or one of the leading causes of deaths throughout the world. According to WHO data, 1.25 million people die every year because of them. They are the leading cause of death for youngsters between the age of 15-30 years and 90% of the fatalities occur in low and middle income countries. The report also mentions that only 28 countries in the world have comprehensive, well-defined road safety laws. Hence, manufacturers would be well advised to focus on the Asia Pacific, Middle East – North Africa and also Latin America for continued growth of the surgical tourniquet market. These countries have comparatively less stringent laws as compared to their developed world counterparts and also a rising number of both two and four wheelers coming on the road for the first time. Such a deadly combo is bound increase the risk of commuting by road and surgical tourniquets are very often the first form of treatment used in these cases. Even the developed world with its larger focus on healthcare and social security can be expected to be a continued driver for the surgical tourniquet market.

There are a few factors which pose a challenge for the growth of the surgical tourniquet market in the near future. Infections can spread through reusable tourniquet cuffs which are not properly sterilized. These concerns are mainly for the disposable ones though as they must be discarded after a single use. In addition, this also leads to increased costs for hospitals and medical practitioners.

Surgical Tourniquets Market Key Regions

North America is the largest surgical tourniquet market at present due to several reasons. It has the highest automobile density in the world, developed infrastructure like four lane highways which enable people to travel at a greater speed and thus a large number of road accidents and resultant traumatic injuries. The government has also consistently strived to encourage the use of advanced tourniquet cuffs as a first line of emergency medical treatment before the patient can be transported to a hospital. Europe follows North America as the second largest market due to the same reasons mentioned above. Asia Pacific can be expected to record the highest growth for the surgical tourniquet market due to a rising population, increasing disposable income among the middle class and affluent to purchase scooters and automobiles respectively and also a demand for advanced medical procedures of the kind found in developed nations. The rising number of hospitals and pathological laboratories will also help the surgical tourniquet market in no small measure.